


ruby red

by ultraviolet289



Series: the spider & stone collection [2]
Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Blood and Injury, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Heist, Jewel heist, Major Character Injury, spider and stone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:28:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28371624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ultraviolet289/pseuds/ultraviolet289
Summary: Ricky nervously waits as Nini and Big Red come back from a heistThey're late.They're never late.
Relationships: Ricky Bowen & Nini Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Series: the spider & stone collection [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2066286
Comments: 6
Kudos: 48





	ruby red

**Author's Note:**

> IMPORTANT NOTE!!  
> \- These one-shots are NOT--I repeat NOT-- in any sort of chronological order. This one-shot in particular takes places farther in the future, I would say 1.5 to 2 years after the ending of spider and stone. The events here seem very catastrophic, but they don't really affect anything in the long run. ** One shots in the future may/will take place before AND after this event.
> 
> Let's just say, I was in the mood for some drama.

They were late.

They were never late.

Ricky paced back and forth in the dimly lit briefing room. _They’re supposed to be here by now,_ he thought, running his hands through his curls. It was supposed to be a quick and easy heist, and they should have been back twenty minutes ago. _Why are they late?_

13 million dollars. That’s what this heist was supposed to get them. They were to rake in _13 million dollars._ The Burgi mob family was transporting a ten carat ruby tonight. They were storing it in a warehouse just outside the city. Ricky sent a trusted team to go fetch it. A team of about a dozen agents, Big Red to supervise, and Nini.

The money would help them support their growing family of Aces, and he was absolutely ecstatic about this ruby. After selling it, Ricky planned on using the funds to renovate their second Ace compound downtown, as well as upgrade the training room and living spaces. He was also excited to donate some to the children’s home on the west side of the city. Last time he visited, they were low on food and bedding and toilet paper and—

Well, they were low on pretty much everything.

He was going to buy them toys and markers and paint. New TV’s and video games. A pair of basketball hoops to replace their rusty ones. He was going to fix their air conditioning system before summer hit them. Board games, books, pens and pencils for schooling—

Ricky was going to do it all for them.

And he _needed_ this ruby _._

They were supposed to be back with the ruby twenty minutes ago.

And they lost communication with the team about an hour ago.

Ricky kept pacing, back and forth and back and forth. He could only imagine the worst _. Did they get caught? What if the police showed up? What if they all got arrested?_

“Sir, I’m sure they’ll be back soon,” An Ace spoke up from the long briefing table were he sat.

“Yeah, and how would you know that, Terry?” Ricky snapped at the Ace’s lame attempt to console him. Ricky’s chest was tight with fear. Panic pooled in his stomach.

They were never late.

_She_ was never late.

Then, like a crack of thunder, Red burst through the double doors. He stumbled, chest heaving, his eyes were glassy and darting around the room. And he was—he was—

Red.

Red was red.

He was covered in it. Red was smeared on his face and neck. On his hands and under his fingernails. And by the way that the light reflected off of his black clothing and gear—it was all damp. All soaked in red. In blood.

Ricky rushed forward. “Red! Are you okay?! _What happened?_ ” The curly haired boy inspected his friend for injuries. For the goddamn source of all of this blood.

“Not—not mine,” Big Red stuttered, he looked like he was in shock.

“What?” Ricky asked.

Red looked down at his blood covered hands, holding them out to show to Ricky. “It’s not mine.”

As if on cue, three more people stumbled into the room. Two very sweaty and exhausted agents carried something—someone between them.

_Nini._

They held her up with her arms slung around their shoulders. Her head lolled forward, her feet dragging on the ground, barely supporting her. She was bruised and cut and sweaty and she, too, was covered in red.

_No._

_No no no no._

Ricky bolted to her. He grabbed her face in his hands, tilting her head up to him. Her eyes were fluttering—shutting for dangerously long periods of time. She was on the brink of consciousness.

“Nini, hey, it’s Ricky—it’s—oh my god.” Fear, thick and hot, filled his mind, his body. “stay—no— _no—_ ” Her head started drooping. “It’s Ricky, you’re at the base, okay? You’re—get her on the table!” He ordered the two agents.

They heaved her up onto the long table as more Aces started trickling in. They all looked fearful. Exhausted. In _shock._

Ricky turned to some random Ace. “Go get Ashlyn and the medic team. _Now.”_

“What the hell happened?” He yelled to no one, helping the two Aces set her on the table.

Red spoke up. “We got into the warehouse all right but—but there were guards on the inside, too. We—we tried to evacuate as quickly as possible a-and get everyone back in the truck. But then—then—” Red swallowed thickly, craning his head to get a good look at Nini. He was still in shock.

“Then _what,_ Red?!”

“Th-They swarmed us. We tried to hold them back— _she_ tried to hold them back. I-I was trying to get everyone back in the truck, and she was holding them off. It was like a- _a dozen_ of them against her. _Only_ her.”

Ricky could see the pain and worry in Red’s eyes. He could see the guilt. And still, shock.

“I pulled her out of there as fast as I could, I swear it. But she just kept fighting them and—and—oh fuck, is she going to be all right?”

“Ashlyn’s on her way!” Terry shouted.

Ricky turned back to Nini. His darling. His whole goddamn world. Her violet streaks of hair were stained, now a maroon color. He cradled her face in his hands, trying to keep her awake.

“God, Nini,” He was on the verge of tears. “You are so dumb, you know that?” He asked her. Ricky never cried in front of his gang but now—now he might. “So, _so_ stupid. With your stupid morals—” He swiped away a tear as quick as he could. “—and your stupid heroics and your stupid principles—”

Ashlyn rushed in, letting out a loud curse when she set eyes on Nini. Her and her team started to get to work.

“Ricky, you need to get out of my way so I can work,” Ashlyn ordered.

Ricky didn’t move.

“ _Ricky.”_

He just couldn’t make himself move.

“ _Do you want me to save her or not?_ ”

Stroking his thumb along her face one last time, he tore himself away. Turning around completely. He couldn’t look at her like this. Maybe he was still a coward, and maybe he was pathetic, but he couldn’t look at her in pain—

A hand snatched his wrist, grabbing impossibly tight. Ricky whipped around, looking for the arm and the body which it belonged to. It was Nini.

Her fingers tightened and and grabbed at his wrist, trying to pull him closer.

“What is it? What’s the matter, darling?”

Her other arm moved, straining to reach across her body. Her fingers stumbled as she unbuckled some of her gear. Ricky wanted to help but he felt frozen. She undid a zipper on her side and reached inside.

Nini pulled Ricky’s wrist closer to her, splaying out his fingers. She drew her hand from her pocket, and placed something cold and red in his hand.

_The ruby_.

His heart sank—no—plummeted down into his stomach. She did this—she risked her whole life for—for a ruby?

“Nini, no—you didn’t—”

Her voice was weak, but she cut him off anyway. “I th—think you should build them a r-rock wall, too.”

“What?”

“For the kids—I want t-to teach them how to climb.”

Ricky cursed under his breath. Of course. _Of fucking course_ she would do this to herself for the kids. She knew it was important to him, and she travelled to the brink of death to get it for him. He wanted to strangle her for it, but all it seemed to do was make him love her more.

Ricky kissed her hands. “You will, Nini. I’ll make sure of it.”

A small smile formed on her crack lips. Her chest and breathing sputtered, but she looked a little more peaceful.

“I—” she choked. “I won, you know.” A delirious grin formed on her lips. If he knew any better, Ricky would say she chuckled.

“What do you mean?”

Her eyes started shutting close. Her head started to dip to the side. “I—I won.”

“Nins—darling—what did you win?” Ricky urged on.

Nini could only move her lips slightly in response. She was passing out. Her breathing was labored. He turned to Red for help.

“She’s talking about the guards at the warehouse,” Red replied. “She won. She beat them.” He cleared his throat. Ricky looked around at all of the Ace faces, staring at Nini on the table. That stark look of surprise and fear and shock.

No. Not shock.

_Awe_.

“She killed all twelve of them. All by herself.”


End file.
